Le Cordon Bleu Campus To Close In Mendota Heights, Elsewhere

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Beginning in 2016, aspiring chefs in Minnesota will have one less place to learn.

Le Cordon Bleu announced Wednesday evening that they plan to close all of their schools in the U.S. by 2017. The institution currently has one school in Minnesota in Mendota Heights.

On Wednesday, Career Education, the company that operates Le Cordon Bleu, announced that they will no longer be accepting applications as of 2016. The final cohort will begin on Jan. 4, 2016. Current students can close out their learning until September 2017.

“New federal regulations make it difficult to project the future for career schools that have higher operating costs, such as culinary schools that require expensive commercial kitchens and ongoing food costs,” Todd Nelson, president and CEO of Career Education, said in a recent press release.

Nelson said the company had been negotiating with a potential buyer to take over the schools and keep them running, but they could not reach an agreement.

Only three culinary schools will remain in Minnesota once the Mendota Heights location closes. Those include the Art Institute of Minnesota, Saint Paul College and Hennepin Technical College.

Minneapolis Community & Technical College also recently announced it will be shutting down it’s culinary program.